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"Judgment, Mercy And Grace"
• 2.21.16 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- Last week, we witnessed the reconciliation
between King David and the people of Israel. Many had shamefully attached
themselves to Absalom and had misunderstood David's retreat.
- When David saw their conflict, he initiated
and invited Israel to take him back, even offering Amasa his top military post
in the place of Joab. The people moved as one to accept his rule again.
- That news spread quickly and was the source
of great joy, but there are some loose ends for the King to address with three
people who stood out during his exile. Verse 16.
Text
•
II Samuel 19:16-18a : "And
Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came
down with the men of Judah to meet King David. There were a thousand men of
Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen
sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over the Jordan before the
king. Then a
ferryboat went across to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he
thought good." : A large crowd has gathered
at the banks of the Jordan river and within it, you could see a man working
feverishly through it.
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He's intently moving through the crowd, eyeing the boat, hoping to be there
when it hits the shore on the western edge.
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Shimei, the man who had cursed David on his way out of Jerusalem, anxiously
moved to the front of the procession with a thousand Benjamites in tow.
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You'll also note that Ziba and his fifteen sons and twenty servants were there
as well. Keep that in your mind as we continue with Shimei.
•
II Samuel 19:18b-20 : "Now Shimei the son of Gera fell
down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan. Then he said to the king,
'Do not let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember what wrong your servant
did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should take
it to heart. For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore here I am,
the first to come today of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord
the king.'" : This is humble pie time! Shimei
wastes no time falling on his face before David.
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The last time we saw him, he was standing and throwing dirt and stones at the
King as he exited Jerusalem. Now, he can't get close enough to the ground!
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What a difference a few days make! The last time we saw him, he was yelling at
a safe distance, virtual obscenities at the King. He had called him a
"bloodthirsty man" and a "rogue."
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Here, he calls him "my lord" and acknowledges him as the King! He is
even his servant!
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It's important that he comes with a public audience and asks the King to grant
him mercy. He needs witnesses to his repentance!
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His words express what every offender wishes to say to the one that they have
offended. "Do not let my lord impute iniquity to me."
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Shimei didn't want David to consider his actions or to charge his account as a
guilty man. He asks David to "forget the wrong" that he did on that
day when he left Jerusalem.
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"Don't let it bother your heart." He was out of his mind. He didn't
mean it like he said it. He was caught up in the moment.
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What plaintive pleas, all of which speak to the desire to have lived a
different way and to have our record expunged in the most critical of moments.
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He readily admits his guilt as a sinner and begs David for mercy because he
does not want to face his wrath.
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Can you not see the proud person in life shun the King of Kings today because
of their current state of affairs? Where is He now? He is not calling for an
account. I can live any way I'd like!
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Oh, but when the King returns, the heart hasn't changed, but there is no desire
to be judged!
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Can you not hear the tenor of their voice change as they realize He is who He
says He is? How many Shimei's will stand in their pride hoping to give God a
piece of their mind from a distance?
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Someday, they will stand before Him and I expect that their voices will echo
what Shimei models. "I know that I have sinned. I have come short. I have
wronged you."
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To be honest, true repentance happens in a much less public manner. Shimei is
doing what he must do to remain alive. Shimei has been forced into this
confession.
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But feigned or not, Abishai is still bent on justice. Verse 21.
•
II Samuel 19:21-23 : "But Abishai the son of Zeruiah
answered and said, 'Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he
cursed the Lord’s anointed?' And David said, 'What have I to do with you, you
sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be
put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over
Israel?' Therefore the king said to Shimei, 'You shall not die.' And the king
swore to him." : Shimei had cursed the King in
front of all the King's host.
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His words were blasphemous, libelous, and wholly false. His actions spoke of
his hatred for the King and his intolerance for his existence! "Should he
not be put to death for this?"
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Abishai always gave in to this answer and any other King would have agreed. But
his next phrase really shows that he knows nothing of this King! He had cursed
the Lord's annointed!
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"David, he cursed you and you are the Lord's annointed! That can't be
forgiven!" David must have wondered about Abishai.
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He had been willing to kill the Lord's annointed, Saul, when David stayed his
hand. Now, if David is the Lord's annointed, shouldn't he be the one
reccomending death?
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That isn't David's heart on this day. "What have I to do with you?"
The NLT renders it, "Who asked your opinion." The HCSB says, "Do
we agree on anything?"
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What a warning! We can spend time with the godliest people on Earth and never
take on the character that they exemplify for us!
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We can read the word of God and allow it to become our memory, but lack the
heart to heed it when the emotions rise. Abishai was right according to the
world's standard.
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Shimei did deserve to die but David won't have anything to do with it on this
day! He is being restored to his rightful place. This is a day of celebration,
not retribution!
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He looks at Abishai with genuine bewilderment and says, "Why should you be
my adversaries?" Why would you stand on the opposite side seeking
execution and not celebration?
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The word that David uses for "adversaries" is Satan! What a statement to make!?
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Why should you be on the side of Satan and call for Shimei's death! That is
what Satan has always represented. He is our adversary according to I Peter 5:8.
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Like Abishai, day and night, relentlessly, Satan calls out for what the
believer deserves. And like David, Jesus stands in the way!
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David knew who he was by the grace of God and looked at Shimei and said
"You shall not die!" He said and swore to him!
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Shimei wasn't going to die and it wasn't because he didn't deserve it, but
because the King swore it! Shimei's life was bound up in the promise of the
King himself.
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As long as he lived, that promise would stay in effect. We'll discover later on
that Shimei was still a rebel, but on this day, Shimei is given a second chance
at life.
•
II Samuel 19:24 : "Now Mephibosheth the son of Saul
came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his
mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day
he returned in peace." : Shimei had offended David,
but Mephibosheth's actions were far more personal. Mephibosheth slowly made his
way to the King. Upon first glace, he was a wreck.
-
Physically, he had neglected the care of his feet, referring likely to
specialized bandages that had remained unchanged. He appeared disheveled in his
face and his clothes were filthy.
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The author tells us that that was how he had been living since the King had
departed until that very day. He was mentally every bit as traumatized as he
had looked physically.
•
II Samuel 19:25-28 : "So it
was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him,
'Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?' And he answered, 'My lord, O king,
my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for
myself, that I may ride on it and go to the king,’ because your servant is
lame. And he
has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like
the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes. For all my father’s house were but
dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat
at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to cry out anymore to the
king?'" : Ziba and his sons and servants had
met David at the Jordan. They made sure to make their appearance to solidify
David's support.
-
Here, back in Jerusalem, David gives Mephibosheth the chance to answer without
holding Ziba's information against him.
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Mephibosheth tells the story that Ziba betrayed him. He had announced to Ziba
that he would prepare a donkey for himself to ride.
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Ziba beat him to it and rode out before Mephibosheth could finish his
preparations, then, lied about Mephibosheth to the King. What is Mephibosheth
to do? It's his word against Ziba's.
-
He resigns himself to David's character, which he likens to an angel of God.
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The woman from Tekoa used this phrase in chapter 14. It speaks of a person who is able to discern what is right
between difficult choices.
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Mephibosheth confesses that he trusts the King to be able to discern what is
right with regard to his case. "Whatever is good in your eyes, do
that."
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The true innocence of a man is seen in his willingness to trust the Lord with
his case, to know that He knows best. Mephibosheth is an example of that to us.
But how can he be so trusting?
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Mephibosheth knows what his life was like before David sought him out. Do you
remember? He was living in an isolated state, in Lo-Debar! Saul's family wasn't
living high on the hog!
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They were living hand to mouth, on the virge of extinction before David
extended his gracious hand to Mephibosheth. Therefore, he leaves his case with
David who has proven himself gracious.
•
II Samuel 19:29,30 : "So the
king said to him, 'Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, ‘You
and Ziba divide the land.’ Then Mephibosheth said to the king, 'Rather, let him take it
all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house.'" : David is at least convinced that he has been too hasty but he's
already given the estate to Ziba. The only fair thing to do is to divide the
estate.
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This may also be a bit of a test. If Mephibosheth had sought to destroy Ziba's
image or to cut Ziba out entirely, it would have revealed a heart consistent
with Ziba's claim.
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Mephibosheth proves by his statement that he wasn't out for personal gain. He
has no interest in having the property. In fact, he says, "Let him have
it!" Why would he want it?
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The King has come back to his home in peace! Where do you think that
Mephibosheth is going to spend most of his time?
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Does your heart not speak to you in the same way? Why fight over what we can't
keep anyway when we can have the presence of the King Himself!
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Mephibosheth isn't going to waste time thinking about a dispute. He just wants
to be back with the King. He valued the restoration of his relationship with
David over any piece of property!
•
II Samuel 19:31,32 : "And
Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went across the Jordan with
the king, to escort him across the Jordan. Now Barzillai was a very aged man,
eighty years old. And he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at
Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man." : We were
introduced to this man back in chapter 17
without any backstory.
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We knew he was a man of means because he brought supplies for all of the King's
people. We knew that he was a man of compassion, as he responded to the
people's hunger and thirst.
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Here, as he escorts the King across the Jordan, we discover that Barzillai was
an 80 year old man on that very day. He has everything a man could dream of
having and the King's favor.
•
II Samuel 19:33-37 : "And the
king said to Barzillai, 'Come across with me, and I will provide for you while
you are with me in Jerusalem. But Barzillai said to the king, 'How long have I to live,
that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? I am today eighty years old. Can I discern
between the good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink?
Can I hear any longer the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then
should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king? Your servant will go a little way across the Jordan with
the king. And why should the king repay me with such a reward? Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in
my own city, near the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant
Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems
good to you.'" : David wants to bless
Barzillai, to treat him as his guest for the rest of his life.
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Barzillai had gone out of his way and had been a tremendous help from the Lord.
It was only right that David return that blessing now that he was back home.
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Barzillai's is incredibly forthright and honest, as are most men of such
advanced age! There's no time for him to come to Jerusalem!
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He's 80 that day and doesn't know a good day from a bad day! He can't taste
anything, his hearing is gone. Everything that the King would try to repay him
with would be wasted on him!
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He's looking forward to heading back home and living out what little time he
had left with his family and among his people.
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Barzillai graciously turns him down, but looks over at Chimham, most likely his
son, whose name means "longing" or "languishing" and seeks
the King's favor for him.
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Barzillai was longing for his own home, but Chimham was longing for life in
Israel, in God's country! "Do for him what seems good to you for his sake
David."
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Whatever favor or blessing that would have been Barzillai's could be bestowed
upon Chimham and the King is happy to have it this way. Verse 38.
•
II Samuel 19:38,39 : "And the
king answered, 'Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what
seems good to you. Now whatever you request of me, I will do for you.' Then all the people went over the
Jordan. And when the king had crossed over, the king kissed Barzillai and
blessed him, and he returned to his own place." : We'll discover in a few chapters that Barzillai's family were
frequent quests at Solomon's table. (I
Kings 2:7)
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Additionally, it's believed that David gave Chimham a plot of land in Bethlehem
and he built a caravansery, what would later be called an "inn" for
travelers that would come into town.
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The style seen throughout that region featured central courtyard and animal
stables throughout the perimeter.
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According to Jeremiah 41:17, his
family still owned it at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. Scripture
even notes their return to Israel after the captivity! (Ezra 2:61, Nehemiah 7:63)
- It's not a stretch to imagine that
Chimham's family inn was still there when a young pregnant lady and her
betrothed rode up in the difficult straits of labor!
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Could the ultimate Son of David have been born in Chimham's inn? We'll have to
wait to get to heaven to find out.
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When Barzillai last looked upon his son, he was walking across the Jordan into
a new life. The King had kissed and blessed him, but he returned to his own
place with great joy for his son.
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Imagine what kind of life he would have with the King! Imagine what his
children will see there in Israel! Imagine if it was his inn that gave
hospitality to the King of Kings!
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Barzillai could never have known the legacy that he passed on to his son by
sending him across the Jordan to live near David.
Conclusion
- For the Shimei
in all of us, let us engage in true repentance, not for the fear of judgment,
but for the sake of the love of Christ.
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We live today before Him, not because of our worth, but because of His promise.
He stands between our adversary and defends us for His sake. Let us respond to
our sin accordingly.
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For the Mephibosheth, let us humbly bring our cases to the Lord and entrust Him
with the outcome. He's been so incredibly gracious to us. We don't deserve
another kind thing.
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But unlike David, our King sees perfectly and will reward righteously. Let us
trust Him and be satisfied that we are in a right relationship to Him.
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Finally, for the Barzillai, the aged man who couldn't stand aside, who had to
continue using his resource for the sake of the King even to the age of 80,
look now at the fruit.
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Chimham stands as an enduring recipient of the King's grace throughout the
ages. Barzillai may have been too old to cash in, but his son enjoyed a
heritage in God's land.
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If your faithfulness to God would yield such a thing, what better blessing
could there be had than that?
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